{"product_id":"culture-and-anarchy-an-essay-in-political-and-social-criticism-9781108040174","title":"Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Matthew Arnold\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Cambridge University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Cambridge University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the middle of the nineteenth century, culture was often considered to be nothing but a meaningless 'smattering of Latin and Greek'. In this work, first published in 1869, Matthew Arnold (1822-88) redefines culture as a striving for 'the best that has been thought or said', and as a contrast to 'philistinism' and the over-valuation of the practical. Critical of the uninspiring lifestyles of many of his religious and non-religious contemporaries, he raises the controversial issue of how to lead a good life, aesthetically, intellectually and morally. He introduces a middle road between classical and Judaeo-Christian ideals ('Hellenism' and 'Hebraism') which promotes the state over the individual, a position that has often prompted his critics to consider him an authoritarian thinker. A fascinating piece of social and political criticism, and an adjunct to Arnold's poetry, this work was both controversial when it was first published, and enormously influential thereafter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47577395888279,"sku":"9781108040174","price":4232.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781108040174.webp?v=1774903336","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/culture-and-anarchy-an-essay-in-political-and-social-criticism-9781108040174","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}